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Tar-21
The TAR-21 (or simply Tavor) is an Israeli bullpup assault rifle chambered for 5.56×45mm NATO ammunition with a selective fire system, selecting between semi-automatic mode and full automatic fire mode. It is named after Mount Tavor, while "TAR-21" stands for "Tavor Assault Rifle - 21st Century". It is the standard issued weapon of the Israeli infantry. The MTAR-21 (Micro Tavor) was recently selected as the future assault rifle of the Israeli Defense Forces, and some infantry division are being issued with the rifle, replacing the bigger and standard TAR-21. The TAR-21 uses a bullpup design, as seen with the French FAMAS, the British SA80, Austrian Steyr AUG, and the Chinese Norinco QBZ-95. Bullpup rifles are configured in a layout in which the bolt carrier group is placed behind the pistol grip; this shortens the overall length but does not sacrifice barrel length. The TAR-21 provides carbine length, but rifle muzzle velocity. The bullpup design is also used to minimize the silhouette of soldiers and to maximize effectiveness in turning corners in urban warfare.The TAR-21 has ejection ports on both sides of the rifle so it can easily be reconfigured for right or left-handed shooters. However, this process requires partial disassembly, so it can not be quickly reconfigured while the rifle is in use. The TAR-21 design was created by Zalmen Shebs, with the express purpose of creating a weapon more suited to urban combat than the M16/M4 carbine. It is based on advanced ergonomics and composite materials in order to produce a more comfortable and reliable rifle. The TAR-21 is waterproof and lightweight. The weapon has a built in laser and MARS red dot sight; one of the main advantages of having a built in system is that the weapon does not have to be zeroed after each use, but the TAR-21 can also be mounted with an array of different scopes such as EOTech holographic weapon sights, night vision systems and other electronic devices.The TAR-21 accepts standard STANAG magazines. It can also be mounted with the M203 grenade launcher. Its ambidextrous fire mode selector above the pistol grip has a semi-automatic mode and a fully automatic mode. ---- Variants The Tavor assault rifle comes in different variations: TAR-21 - standard version intended for multirole infantry. GTAR-21 - standard version with notched barrel, to accept an M203 40 mm under-barrel grenade launcher. CTAR-21 - compact short barrel version intended for commandos and special forces. STAR-21 - designated marksman version with folding under-barrel bipod and Trijicon ACOG 4× magnification sight. MTAR-21 - see below. Zittara - Indian locally produced version of the MTAR-21 Micro Tavor modified to use the local 5.56×30mm MINSAS cartridge. editMicro Tavor (X95) Micro-Tavor with a Kimber Mepro reflex sight at IDF exhibition 2011. The Micro Tavor (MTAR-21), also designated X95 and sometimes called Tavor-2, is a stand-alone extremely compact weapon specifically designed for special forces units, as well as military personnel who are normally not issued long assault rifles. With the use of a relatively simple conversion kit, the MTAR-21 can be converted from a 5.56 mm assault rifle to a 9 mm submachine gun loaded with 20, 25, and 32-round magazines. A suppressor can also be added to the weapon, it is part of the 9 mm conversion kit. An integrated grenade launcher is currently being developed for the Micro Tavor. In November 2009, the Micro Tavor was selected as the future standard infantry weapon of the IDF.5 It comes in a number of variants (including):6 X95-5.56mm X95-9mm X95S (9mm, integrated silencer, and a rate of fire of ~1200 rds/min) editSemi-automatic The semi-automatic Tavor Carbine (TC-21) has been conceived for civilian customers, and as a police patrol carbine for those countries, or law enforcement agencies, where full-automatic firearms are issued only to SWAT-like units. A semi-automatic Tavor carbine was first seen at the 2002 SHOT Show, when agreements were announced between IMI and the Barrett Firearms Company to manufacture the Tavor in both its military and civilian variants in the United States.7 This was probably done in order to allow Israel to procure the Tavor using United States military aid money, since, according to American military assistance agreements, said funds must be spent to purchase US-manufactured equipment. The agreement between IMI and Barrett was never finalized, and the semi-automatic Tavor carbine as shown at the 2002 SHOT Show was never manufactured, although that specific design has recently resurfaced. The current Tavor Carbine, made in Israel by IWI, has been designed with slightly shortened barrel, otherwise being identical to the standard TAR-21 assault rifle. As of 2008, it is available for civilian customers to purchase in Canada. The Canadian civilian version comes standard with the Mepro reflex sight and a slightly longer barrel to meet the Canadian requirement for non-restricted semi-automatic centerfire rifles to have a barrel length of at least 470 mm. There was a report by Charles Daly President Micheal Kassnar that plans were being made to import, or at least partially build, the Tavor in the United States, which was released through the Charles Daly forums. However, since that time Charles Daly has gone out of business and the prospect of the sale of a semi-automatic version of the Tavor for the American civilian market is currently in question. According to an interview with Michael Kassnar of Trans World Arms at the SHOT Show 2012, Trans World Arms is planning to bring the civilian version of Tavor to market around September-October 2012 timeframe.